On  Human  Nature  
Eric  R.  Pianka  
Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas, Austin, Texas, 8712-0253  
 
Abstract.  Humans  are  pretty  smart.  Even  having  words  like  eternity,  infinity,  and  
hypervolume,  all  concepts  totally  alien  to  our  limited  existence  in  time  and  space,  is  
a  tribute  to  human  intellect.  We  are  the  only  product  of  natural  selection  that  
understands  where  we  came  from  and  how  we  got  here.  Balfour  (1895)  said  of  us  
that  “matter  knows  itself”.  These  are  truly  remarkable  feats  and  humans  have  much  
of  which  we  can  rightfully  be  proud.  However,  we  also  have  our  share  of  visible  
flaws  and  human  failings.    As  Nietzsche  pointed  out,  human  nature  is  fundamentally  
flawed.  Here  I  seek  to  try  to  explain  why  we  are  like  we  are  using  reason  and  
common  sense.  I  identify  hard-­‐wired  human  instincts  and  discuss  how  these  once  
adaptive  behaviors  have  now  become  liabilities  to  our  survival.  
 
Keywords:  Instincts,  Greed,  Revenge,  Tribal  Loyalty,  Music,  Spirituality  
 
Humans  are  pretty  smart.  Indeed,  Linnaeus  was  so  impressed  with  us  that  in  1758  
he  named  our  species  Homo  sapiens  ("Homo"  is  Latin  for  man,  "sapiens"  is  Latin  for  
wise  or  knowing).  We  have  certainly  had  our  share  of  geniuses.  Look  at  all  we've  
accomplished:  art,  music,  science,  technology,  engineering,  and  mathematics.  We  
recognize  the  periodic  table  of  the  elements,  physical  laws  of  motion,  the  laws  of  
thermodynamics,  as  well  as  Einstein's  theory  of  relativity.  We  have  dated  our  
cosmos  back  to  the  big  bang  13.8  billion  years  ago.  We  have  studied  the  fossil  record  
and  know  when  life  arose  and  how  it  has  evolved.  We  know  how  genetics  works  and  
we  can  sequence  and  interpret  DNA  and  even  splice  genes  between  different  species  
to  make  genetically  modified  organisms  (which  may  well  prove  to  be  a  grave  
mistake).  We  know  about  microscopic  viruses  and  bacteria  as  well  as  our  own  
microbiomes.  We  have  begun  to  explore  space.  It  is  a  tribute  to  human  intellect  that  
we  even  have  words  like  eternity,  infinity,  and  hypervolume,  all  concepts  totally  

 
  

alien  to  our  limited  existence  in  time  and  space.  We  are  the  only  product  of  natural  
selection  that  understands  where  we  came  from  and  how  we  got  here.  Balfour  
(1895)  said  of  us  that  "matter  knows  itself".  These  are  truly  remarkable  feats  and  
humans  have  much  of  which  we  can  rightfully  be  proud.  
 
However,  we  also  have  our  share  of  visible  flaws  and  human  failings.  What's  wrong  
with  us?  Why  do  we  keep  repeating  past  mistakes?  As  Nietzsche  pointed  out,  human  
nature  is  fundamentally  flawed.  Few  if  any  of  us  will  be  able  to  read  the  following  
list  without  finding  ourselves  guilty  as  charged  on  at  least  some  counts.  
 
We  are  selfish  and  greedy    
We  demean  and  disrespect  others    
We  waste  water  and  energy    
We  are  hypocrites    
We  carry  grudges    
We  lie    
We  plot    
We  steal    
We  cheat    
We  litter    
We  are  vain    
We  are  lazy    
We  do  drugs    
We  are  envious    
We  are  prideful    
We  eat  too  much    
We  drink  too  much    
We  drive  drunk    
We  run  red  lights    
We  text  while  driving    
We  talk  on  cell  phones  while  driving    

 
  

We  buy  into  mass  movements    

We  are  vengeful  and  vindictive    
We  betray  our  friends  and  spouses    
We  get  angry  and  fight    
We  are  mean  spirited    
We  kill  each  other    
We  destroy  natural  beauty  
 
I  am  embarrassed,  even  ashamed,  to  be  human.  We  all  should  be.  
 
Mark  Twain  blamed  God  for  our  flawed  human  nature.  He  asserted  that  humans  are  
a  "lousy  invention,"  fundamentally  flawed,  and  that  criticizing  us  is  like  "hitting  a  
child."  He  went  on  to  say  that  we  have  "no  control",  no  "will",  and  are  compelled  to  
commit  sins.  "God  is  responsible  for  every  act  and  word  of  a  human  being's  life  
between  cradle  and  grave."  Twain  said  we  should  not  blame  ourselves  but  should  be  
pitied  for  being  the  wretches  we  are.  
 
Here,  rather  than  invoke  some  hypothetical  deity,  I  seek  to  try  to  explain  why  we  are  
like  we  are  using  reason  and  common  sense.  
 
Human  Rationality  and  Emotions  

"You  don't  have  a  soul,  Doctor.  You  are  a  soul.  You  have  a  body,  temporarily."  -­-­  Walter  
M.  Miller  Jr.,  A  Canticle  for  Leibowitz  
 
"The  meaning  of  earthly  existence  lies  not,  as  we  have  grown  used  to  thinking,  in  
prospering  but  in  the  development  of  the  soul."  -­-­  Aleksandr  Solzhenitsyn,  Cancer  Ward  
 
"It  is  scarcely  necessary  to  remark  that  a  stationary  condition  of  capital  and  
population  implies  no  stationary  state  of  human  improvement.  There  would  be  as  
much  scope  as  ever  for  all  kinds  of  mental  culture  and  moral  and  social  progress;  as  
much  room  for  improving  the  Art  of  Living,  and  much  more  likelihood  of  its  being  
improved"  -­-­  John  Stuart  Mill  1859  
 

 
  

Development  of  verbal  language  allowed  us  to  exchange  and  expand  ideas  and  
concepts  better,  no  doubt  facilitating  control  of  our  environment,  and  thereby  our  
survival  and  reproductive  success.  However,  language  is  a  double-­‐edged  sword:  
words  help  us  formulate  concepts,  but  at  the  same  time,  they  limit  the  directions  our  
thought  
 
processes  can  take.  The  ways  in  which  we  can  envision  the  natural  world  around  us  
are  constrained  by  the  words  we  develop,  especially  by  the  different  meanings,  
attitudes,  and  emotions  they  can  convey.  Words,  nouns  in  particular,  can  have  very  
different  referents  between  humans.  For  example,  the  word  "mountain"  means  
something  quite  different  to  someone  raised  in  Switzerland  versus  someone  raised  
in  Oklahoma.  Precise  definitions  or  universal  agreement  are  needed  to  insure  
accurate  passage  of  understanding.  
 
Humans  explain  events  and  phenomena  in  two  very  different  ways.  One  approach  to  
knowing  (common  sense)  involves  thinking  and  is  objective,  based  on  making  
repeatable  observations  that  allow  us  to  predict  nature  and  future  events  -­‐-­‐  this  
rational  logical  approach  to  knowing  led  to  scientific  methodology.  Another,  very  
different,  non-­‐  objective  mystical  approach  to  "knowing"  (faith-­‐based)  is  based  
primarily  upon  the  invocation  of  supernatural  explanations,  bolstered  by  religious  
authorities  who  claim  to  have  special  access  to  supernatural  sources.  This  irrational  
non-­‐scientific  approach,  championed  by  religions  of  all  kinds,  has  helped  many  
humans  accept  and  cope  with  things  they  have  no  power  to  change  or  difficulty  
understanding  rationally,  such  as  unexpected  deaths,  other  misfortunes,  or  natural  
disasters.  Unfortunately,  the  power  conferred  on  religious  leaders  has  often  led  to  
serious  abuses  and  resistance  to  accepting  the  rational  understanding  of  the  
functioning  of  nature  as  demonstrated  by  new  scientific  discoveries.  These  two  
diametrically  opposed  ways  we  interpret  and  "know"  about  our  environments  have  
contributed  to  the  regrettable  past  and  present  day  conflicts  between  science  and  
religion.  
 

 
  

Irrational  belief  and/or  non-­‐belief  systems  are  pitted  against  rational  views  in  an  
effort  to  erode  public  confidence  in  science.  People  have  become  polarized  along  the  
unfortunate  rational-­‐mystical  divide.  I  remain  amazed  by  how  vehement  religious  
fundamentalists  have  become  (the  ISIS-­‐ISIL  conflict  exhibits  tribalism  at  its  worst).  
Human  intelligence  has  also  evolved  so  that  we  have  remarkably  good  abilities  to  
detect  intentions  of  other  humans  in  social  interactions.  We  seem  to  have  a  
propensity  for  superstitious  mysticism  and  a  tendency  to  emphasize  explanations  
that  invoke  intention  over  those  based  on  sheer  mechanism,  situation,  or  
circumstances.  Indeed,  humans  may  be  predisposed  to  see  intentions  in  their  
friends  and  enemies.  Similarly,  we  attribute  conscious  thought  and  intention  to  the  
actions  of  non-­‐  human  animals  (anthropomorphism).  For  example,  predators  "want"  
to  kill  us  and  prey  "want"  to  escape  from  us.  We  even  look  for  meaning  and  purpose  
in  inanimate  things  such  as  the  climate  or  the  universe.  Thus  a  destructive  storm  is  
interpreted  as  having  occurred  because  people  strayed  from  religious  tradition  or  
did  something  wrong  and  needed  to  be  punished.  
 
Everyone,  religious  or  not,  relies  on  objective  rational  thinking  to  handle  problems  
encountered  in  everyday  life.  Thus,  we  all  know  we  must  eat  to  stay  alive,  things  fall  
down  not  up  or  sideways,  we  seek  to  avoid  collisions  when  driving,  balance  our  
budgets,  etc.  Many  people  switch  back  and  forth  between  rational  knowing  to  
mystical  faith-­‐  based  "knowing"  with  ease.  Natural  selection  has  organized  our  
brains  in  ways  that  promote  such  duality  (Morrison  1999,  Trivers  2011).  Natural  
selection  molded  our  emotions  and  instincts,  including  setting  aside  the  right  half  of  
our  brain  for  storage  of  subconscious  irrational  information.  Rational  logic  and  
common  sense  reside  in  the  left  half  of  our  brain  along  with  speech.  Morrison  
(1999)  argues  that  this  duality  effectively  gave  the  irrational  right  side  of  our  brains  
invisible  control  over  the  rational  left  side:  
 
"To  properly  accommodate  this  vital  streak  of  insanity  in  an  increasingly  rational  
brain  it  was  first  necessary  for  people  to  perceive,  quite  accurately,  that  their  
genetic  imperatives  -­‐-­‐  instincts,  feelings  and  desires  -­‐-­‐  represented  a  source  of  
considerable  wisdom  and  'super-­‐natural'  power;  and  second,  to  believe,  less  

 
  

accurately,  that  this  inner  source  had  its  roots  in  an  invisible  world  of  super-­‐  
intelligence,  a  mystical  world  that  lay  beyond  rational  comprehension."  
 
"Under  the  spell  of  our  carefully  programmed  'spirituality',  we  cannot  help  falling  in  
love,  yearning  for  idealised  sexual  gratification,  nurturing  our  children,  forging  
tribal  bonds,  suspecting  strangers,  uniting  against  common  enemies,  and  on  
occasions,  laying  down  our  lives  for  family,  friends  or  tribe"  (Morrison  1999).  
 
I  once  had  an  interesting  conversation  with  an  intelligent  young  Arab  man  named  
Thursday  who  asked  me  "how  could  our  spirit  be  explained  except  by  devine  
providence?"  I  tried  to  explain  Morrison's  arguments  to  him  but  encountered  stiff  
opposition.  Like  many  people,  he  was  convinced  that,  unlike  other  animals,  humans  
have  a  soul,  a  God-­‐given  spirit  that  lives  on  eternally.  
 
People  enjoy  fantasy  and  thrive  on  mysticism  as  illustrated  by  the  huge  success  of  J.  
K.  Rowling's  Harry  Potter  books.  Super  heroes  like  Batman,  Superman,  Wonder  
woman,  and  Spiderman  are  everywhere  and  adored  by  small  children.  We  train  our  
kids  to  believe  in  age-­‐  specific  mythical  creatures,  starting  with  the  Tooth  Fairy,  
Easter  Bunny,  and  Santa  Claus  ("Papa  Noel"  in  Brazil).  One  father  decided  it  was  
time  to  break  the  news  to  his  12  year-­‐old  boy  who  still  believed  in  Santa  Claus.  
When  he  told  his  son  there  was  no  Santa  Claus,  his  smart  kid  got  a  gleam  in  his  eye  
and  said  "Oh,  I  get  it,  there's  no  God,  either."  Then,  Daddy  had  to  backtrack  quickly  
and  reassure  his  boy  that  God  was  indeed  real.  Kids  are  expected  to  outgrow  their  
belief  in  the  Tooth  Fairy,  the  Easter  Bunny,  and  Santa  Claus,  but  not  the  cherished  
myth  of  one  or  more  omnipotent  deities.  Everybody  wants  to  believe  that  they  have  
a  soul,  a  caring  god,  and  an  afterlife,  as  comforting  and  irrational  as  that  may  be.  
Religions  occupy  a  very  special  place  in  the  irrational  right  side  of  our  brains  
adjacent  to  our  carefully  programmed  but  irrational  feeling  of  'spirituality'.  Any  
challenge  to  a  devoutly  religious  person's  faith  meets  with  adamant  opposition,  
even  outright  physical  hostility.  

 
  

 
Religious  folks  abandon  reason  on  a  regular  basis  -­‐-­‐  such  people  entertain  irrational  
faith-­‐based  systems  of  belief.  They  are  comfortable  with  "proofs"  based  on  ancient  
mythology.  People  who  "know"  something  or  "believe"  in  "proof"  are  dogmatic  and  
closed  minded  -­‐-­‐  they  are  mired  down  intellectually,  unable  and/or  unwilling  to  use  
logic  to  comprehend  reasoned  alternatives  and  cannot  improve  their  limited  
understanding  without  substantial  changes  in  their  thinking  processes.  Such  
certainty  is  a  dangerous  illusion.  
 
Beliefs  can  be  dangerous.  Take,  for  example,  the  Christian  fantasy  of  "Rapture,"  the  
idea  of  the  second  coming  of  Christ.  Believers  in  this  myth  are  confident  that  they  
will  go  to  Heaven  and  God  will  replenish  Earth  -­‐-­‐  hence,  they  see  no  reason  for  
conservation  of  any  of  Earth's  resources.  

   
Interestingly,  music  resides  in  the  subconscious  right  side  of  the  brain  in  the  same  
place  where  logic,  language  and  speech  reside  in  the  rational  left  side  (Broca's  area).  
No  other  ape  has  invented  music.  Our  ancestors  were  probably  inspired  to  invent  

 
  

music  by  listening  to  bird  songs.  Both  birds  and  people  use  music  in  courtship.  
Music  can  be  soft  and  soothing  but  it  can  also  be  loud  and  distressing  even  spooky.  
Music  evokes  powerful  emotions  in  humans  and  is  exploited  by  our  leaders  to  
arouse  us  into  action:  thus  national  anthems  evoke  patriotism  and  are  used  to  
inflame  our  tribal  instincts  as  we  go  into  insane  wars.  Religious  and  political  fervor  
are  exploited  similarly  as  deluded  religious  and  political  groups  are  pitted  against  
each  other.  Sports  fans  form  similar  opposing  groups  using  their  team's  theme  song  
to  elicit  passion.  
 
We  are  born  into  a  given  skin  color,  nationality,  language,  social  and  political  
culture,  and  religion  (including  our  God  or  Gods)  -­‐-­‐  all  are  accidents  of  birth  but  
have  profound  effects  on  our  lives  and  the  societies  we  live  in.  Indeed,  taken  
together  they  determine  which  side  you'll  be  on  in  the  next  war!  Few  people  are  
able  to  shift  from  their  birth  group  to  another.  The  rules  of  a  level  playing  field  
dictate  that  people  will  always  want  to  immigrate  from  an  impoverished  birth  group  
into  another  that  enjoys  a  higher  standard  of  living.  Governments  discourage  illegal  
immigration.  Oceans  and  border  patrols  reinforce  boundaries  and  maintain  
heterogeneity  and  disparities  between  national  groups.  
 
Adamant  insistence  on  faith-­‐based  "knowing"  coupled  with  careless  use  of  words  
like  "believe"  and  "truth"  have  provided  numerous  opportunities  to  foment  
confusion  and  have  allowed  science  to  be  deliberately  maligned  and  misrepresented  
by  those  who  stand  to  lose  from  changing  sensibilities.  Creationists  are  fond  of  
demeaning  science  by  saying  that  it  is  "just  another  belief  system"  and  that  
evolution  is  "just  a  theory".  They  fail  to  understand  that,  in  time,  a  well-­‐
substantiated  hypothesis  is  elevated  to  become  a  robust  scientific  theory.  
Eventually,  reliable  scientific  theories  can  even  attain  the  status  of  'law,'  such  as  the  
laws  of  motion  or  the  laws  of  thermodynamics.  
 
Religious  leaders  have  often  rejected  new  scientific  evidence  when  it  reduced  the  
domain  of  processes  over  which  religion  could  claim  authority.  As  a  result,  scientific  

 
  

investigators  have  sometimes  been  vilified  as  Galileo  was  during  the  Spanish  
Inquisition  -­‐-­‐  scientists  have  even  been  tortured  and  executed  because  their  views  
conflicted  with  mystical  belief  systems.  Humans  are  all  too  good  at  being  irrational  
and  defending  superstition.  Denial  must  have  been  favored  by  natural  selection:  a  
prehistoric  man  or  woman  who  worried  too  much  about  cave  bears  must  have  been  
in  a  useless  state  of  anxiety.  Our  uncanny  ability  to  refuse  to  face  the  menacing  
reality  of  overpopulation  but  instead  go  into  denial  may  well  be  our  undoing  (Varki  
and  Brower  2013)  
.  
Accurate  knowledge  of  basic  principles  of  community  organization  and  ecosystem  
function  are  essential  for  wise  exploitation  of  both  natural  and  agricultural  
ecological  systems.  An  understanding  of  basic  parasitology  is  needed  to  control  
epidemics  in  human  populations.  The  continuing  existence  of  all  the  denizens  of  this  
poor  beleaguered  planet,  including  ourselves,  will  ultimately  depend  more  on  our  
ecological  understanding  and  wisdom  than  it  will  on  irrational  mysticism  or  future  
technological  "advances."  We  cannot  rely  on  technological  solutions.  Technology  is  
what  got  us  to  this  precarious  situation  in  the  first  place.  Rather,  we  must  obey  
natural  laws  of  nature  such  as  the  laws  of  thermodynamics,  reorganize  society,  and  
change  our  own  lifestyles.  Unless  everybody  plays  his/her  part,  humanity  is  
doomed.  
 
Burning  fossil  fuels  of  any  sort,  and  using  energy  in  any  way  even  via  
nuclear  reactors  only  adds  insult  to  injury  because  such  activities  produce  waste  
heat  that  cannot  be  dissipated  (Hansen  et  al.,  2005).  Hence  we  are  actually  speeding  
up  the  rate  of  global  warming  by  all  our  efforts  to  find  and  use  more  energy,  fracking  
included.  Our  voracious  appetite  for  energy  and  our  steadfast  refusal  to  live  by  the  
rules  of  thermodynamics  is  rapidly  shortening  the  time  left  for  all  life  on  planet  
Earth.  
 
Any  thinking  person  can  see  that  we  surely  must  convert  to  a  sustainable  system  
where  each  of  us  leaves  the  planet  in  the  same  condition  that  it  was  in  before  we  

 
  

were  born.  This  will  require  much  less  extravagant  lifestyles.  We  won't  be  able  to  
move  around  so  freely  and  we  will  have  to  go  back  to  walking  and  riding  bicycles  or  
horses.  In  addition,  humans  will  have  to  live  without  big  cities.  Before  it  is  all  over,  if  
we  are  going  to  endure,  we  will  have  to  overhaul  our  entire  existence.  
Human  Instincts  
"...it  is  impossible  to  overlook  the  extent  to  which  civilization  is  built  up  upon  a  
renunciation  of  instinct  ..."  
-­-­  Sigmund  Freud,  Civilization  and  Its  Discontents  
 
Like  all  animals,  humans  have  instincts,  hard-­‐wired  behaviors  that  enhance  our  
ability  to  cope  with  vital  environmental  contingencies.  Our  innate  fear  of  snakes  is  
an  example.  Two  other  powerful  instincts,  greed  and  the  urge  to  procreate,  now  
threaten  our  very  existence.  Any  attempt  to  control  human  behavior  is  bound  to  
meet  with  resistance  and  disapproval.  Unless  we  can  change  our  behavior,  humans  
are  facing  the  end  of  civilization.  Our  problem  has  several  elements.  (1)  We  have  
invented  social  and  economic  systems  that  encourage  greedy  behavior,  and  we  have  
actually  institutionalized  runaway  greed.  (2)  We  are  in  a  state  of  complete  denial  
about  the  growth  of  human  populations.  (3)  Earth's  finite  resources  simply  cannot  
support  7+  billion  of  us  in  the  style  to  which  we'd  like  to  live.  (4)  We  must  make  
a  choice  between  quantity  and  quality  of  human  life.  (5)  To  head  off  the  inevitable  
collapse,  we  can  no  longer  wait  and  merely  react  but  we  must  become  proactive.  We  
must  find  ways  to  control  dangerous  human  instincts,  especially  our  greed  and  our  
urge  to  procreate.  

 
  

 
People  have  an  instinctive  fear  of  snakes.  We  are  afraid  of  snakes  because  humans  
evolved  alongside  these  creatures,  many  of  which  are  dangerous.  This  fear  saved  the  
lives  of  our  ancestors  and  became  hard-­‐  wired  innate  behavior,  also  known  as  
instinct.  Similarly  we  possess  many  other  instincts  that  were  adaptive  
during  most  of  human  history.  Fear  is  primal  and  may  well  be  at  the  root  of  all  our  
instincts.  
 
Human  instincts  evolved  long  ago  when  we  lived  off  the  land  as  hunter-­‐gatherers  
and  took  refuge  in  simple  shelters  like  huts  and  caves.  Although  our  instinctive  
behaviors  were  adaptive  then  (that  is,  they  enhanced  our  ability  to  survive  and  
reproduce),  many  do  not  work  so  well  in  modern  environments.  In  fact,  some  of  our  
instincts  have  become  extremely  serious  impediments  now  threatening  our  very  
survival.  
 
Consider,  for  example,  revenge.  Revenge  made  ample  sense  when  we  were  hunter-­‐
gatherers  living  in  small  clans  or  tribes.  If  somebody  messed  with  you  or  your  family  
and  you  took  revenge,  they  were  unlikely  to  repeat  offenses  against  you.  But  now,  in  
our  overcrowded  man-­‐made  world,  some  people  actually  contemplate  pushing  red  
buttons  that  will  set  off  nukes  and  destroy  our  planet's  life  support  systems.  Such  
revengeful  behavior  at  a  global  level  is  clearly  insane  (Chomsky  2014).  

 
  

 
Greed  is  another  natural  human  instinct  -­‐-­‐  we  are  all  selfish  and  greedy  at  heart,  and  
for  sound  evolutionary  reasons.  In  times  of  scarcity,  a  stingy  cave  man  was  more  
likely  to  survive  and  reproduce  than  a  generous  one  who  shared  his  limited  
resources  with  the  less  fortunate.  In  short,  we  have  been  programmed  to  be  selfish.  
Humans  have  institutionalized  greed  -­‐-­‐  we  allow,  even  encourage,  runaway  greed.  
Our  political  and  economic  systems  facilitate  greed.  Greed  is  the  underlying  driving  
force  for  both  capitalism  and  entrepreneurship.  Our  banking  and  insurance  
companies,  coupled  with  the  formation  of  limited  liability  corporations  and  the  
stock  market  have  allowed  greed  to  explode.  
 
Corporations  have  no  conscience,  but  exist  solely  for  whatever  profits  they  can  
make.  The  stock  market  allows  all  of  us  to  get  a  piece  of  the  action.  Corporate  
executives  are  paid  obscene  salaries  and  are  not  personally  liable  for  activities  they  
oversee.  Corporations  control  politicians,  who  pass  legislation  that  allows  tax  
evasion  and  assures  obscene  corporate  profits.  The  Supreme  Court's  absurd  ruling  
that  corporations  are  "people"  gave  them  unlimited  power  to  buy  politicians.  
Runaway  human  greed  now  threatens  our  very  future  and  must  somehow  be  
controlled.  Any  attempt  to  control  greed  will  be  strenuously  opposed  by  the  
wealthy.  Indeed,  it  may  prove  to  be  impossible  to  overcome  human  instinctive  
behaviors.  
 
Humans  are  social  creatures  and  as  suggested  earlier,  we  have  been  designed  by  
natural  selection  to  band  together  in  small  tribes.  Tribal  loyalty  is  instinctive  but  is  
exploited  today  to  justify  sexism  and  racism.  Let's  go  back  thousands  of  years  ago  
when  humans  were  still  living  in  caves  in  Africa.  Humans  are  frail  compared  to  big  
African  predators  like  leopards  and  lions,  and  we  had  to  band  together  to  
survive.  
 
Good  leaders  were  essential  for  all  members  of  the  tribe.  Imagine  a  smart  cave  man  
or  woman  who  sat  at  the  mouth  of  the  cave  studying  the  stars  above  month  after  

 
  

month.  As  the  constellations  changed  with  the  seasons,  this  intelligent  person  
noticed  last  year  repeated  itself.  When  days  started  to  get  longer  and  the  skies  above  
began  to  look  like  they  had  at  the  end  of  last  winter  just  before  last  year's  spring,  our  
Shaman-­‐to-­‐be  had  an  "ah  ha"  moment  of  deep  thought.  
 
Meeting  with  the  tribe  gathered  around  a  campfire,  he/she  danced  and  beat  a  tune  
on  a  drum,  eliciting  emotions,  asserting  that  she/he  had  had  supernatural  insights.  
Then,  declaring  that  the  cold  weather  was  about  to  end,  he/she  predicted  the  
upcoming  springtime.  When  her/his  forecast  came  true,  his/her  followers  declared  
her/him  a  wise  leader,  conferring  him/her  with  power.  Leaders  that  could  take  
better  care  of  their  followers  were  favored  along  with  loyalty  to  the  tribe.  This  
process  may  well  have  been  a  driving  force  favoring  enhanced  intelligence  as  well  as  
the  use  of  music  for  tribal  cohesion.  
 
As  we  have  seen,  when  faced  with  a  threat,  people  have  an  almost  uncanny  ability  to  
go  into  denial  -­‐-­‐  no  doubt  this  relieves  anxiety  and  might  well  be  an  asset  under  
some  circumstances.  However,  refusal  to  face  reality  can  also  be  dangerous.  Using  
our  divided  brains,  we  humans  have  almost  certainly  been  selected  to  be  able  to  
deceive  our  own  selves,  effectively  making  us  better  liars  and  trusted  leaders  
(Trivers  2011).  
 

 
  

Primitive  humans  presumably  did  not  

even  know  how  babies  were  formed,  
but  nevertheless  they  made  them.  By  
favoring  nerve  endings  that  tingled  in  
just  the  right  places  and  parts  that  fit,  
natural  selection,  that  ultimate  puppet  
master,  made  certain  we'd  reproduce.  
Hence,  like  all  animals,  we  are  
programmed  to  have  instincts  to  
breed.  And  breed,  we  do,  in  fact,
 
we  are  much  too  good  at  it  for  our  own  good,  all  7+  billion  of  us.  We  must  control  
our  own  reproduction.  Our  urge  to  procreate  is  one  of  our  most  powerful  instincts.  
Males  simply  want  lots  of  sex  whereas  females  are  programmed  with  nesting  
behaviors  that  involve  a  safe  home  place  for  their  family  (of  course,  sexual  selection  
is  much  more  complex  than  that  simple  one  sentence  brief  synopsis).  
Morality  
Religions  like  to  claim  they  hold  some  sort  of  a  monopoly  on  morality.  However  
many  agnostics  and  atheists  dispute  this,  claiming  to  be  highly  moral  people.  Indeed,  
morality  is  probably  an  ancestral  condition  among  all  great  apes,  perhaps  among  
mammals  in  general.  Jane  Goodall  discovered  that  chimpanzees  are  highly  
intelligent,  emotional  creatures  living  in  complex  social  groups:  "it  isn't  only  human  
beings  who  have  personality,  who  are  capable  of  rational  thought  and  emotions  like  
joy  and  sorrow."  
 
Goodall  observed  human-­‐like  behaviours  including  hugs,  kisses,  pats  on  the  back,  
and  tickling.  She  argues  that  such  gestures  reveal  "close,  supportive,  affectionate  
bonds  that  develop  between  family  members  and  other  individuals  within  a  
community,  which  can  persist  throughout  a  life  span  of  more  than  50  years."  
"During  the  first  ten  years  of  the  study  I  had  believed  .  .  .  Gombe  chimpanzees  were,  

 
  

for  the  most  part,  rather  nicer  than  human  beings.  .  .  .  Then  suddenly  we  found  that  
chimpanzees  could  be  brutal  -­‐-­‐  that  they,  like  us,  had  a  darker  side  to  their  nature."  
 
In  his  book  "The  Bonobo  and  the  Atheist:  In  Search  of  Humanism  Among  the  
Primates,"  Franz  de  Waal  recounts  hundreds  of  observations  of  the  most  humanoid  
great  ape,  bonobo  chimpanzees,  that  reveal  empathy  (de  Waal,  2014).  Mirror  
neurons  in  our  ape  brains  elicit  empathetic  responses:  when  another  individual  is  
hurt,  a  bonobo  will  come  to  its  aid  and  console  the  injured  party.  Similarly,  when  a  
buffalo  or  an  elephant  falls  down,  others  will  come  to  its  rescue  and  try  to  help  it  get  
back  up  on  its  feet.  When  someone  yawns  in  a  boring  meeting,  others  begin  to  yawn,  
too,  until  everyone  is  bored.  
Human  Brains:  Windows  of  Lucidity  
"If  you  were  good  enough,  then  what  better  reward  than  to  be  rolled  up  near  the  
warmth  of  the  fire,  nestled  into  the  sweet  plump  convexity  of  a  female  buttock?"  -­-­  
Hooton  (1946),  Up  from  the  Ape.  
 
"The  intuitive  mind  is  a  sacred  gift,  and  the  rational  mind  is  a  faithful  servant.  We  have  
created  a  society  that  honors  the  servant  and  has  forgotten  the  gift."  
-­-­  Albert  Einstein  
The  left  and  right  sides  of  our  brains  communicate  via  the  corpus  callosum.  Our  
conscious  rational  left  brain  appears  to  be  much  more  limited  than  our  
subconscious  right  brain  which  is  capable  of  pattern  recognition  and  fast  
"unconscious  intelligence"  (Gladwell  2005,  Isenman  1997,  2013).  Gladwell  (2005)  
calls  this  "thinking  without  thinking"  and  Isenman  (1997,  2013)  details  several  
celebrated  examples  of  insights  gained  from  such  intuition  as  described  below.  
Einstein  treasured  intuition  over  rational  thought  and  considered  conscience  to  be  
intuitive.  "Intuition  leads  us  to  greater  understanding  of  ourselves  and  the  
universe."  He  once  said  "To  these  elementary  laws  there  leads  no  logical  path,  but  
only  intuition,  supported  by  being  sympathetically  in  touch  with  experience"  
(Holton  1978).  He  also  said  "the  universe  is  rational  and  our  highest  destiny  is  to  
ponder  it  and  co-­‐  create  its  laws.  .  .  .  what  seems  impenetrable  to  us  is  as  important  
as  what  is  cut  and  dried,  and  .  .  .  our  faculties  are  dull  and  can  only  comprehend  
wisdom  and  serene  beauty  in  crude  forms,  but  the  heart  of  man  through  intuition  

 
  

leads  us  to  greater  understanding  of  ourselves  and  the  universe."  Einstein  had  a  
reverence  for  all  life  and  even  for  inanimate  matter  which  he  once  referred  to  as  
"solidified  energy."  "I  like  to  experience  the  universe  as  one  harmonious  whole.  
Every  cell  has  life."  When  he  was  a  boy,  Einstein  contemplated  riding  a  wave  of  light  
which  image  ultimately  led  him  to  the  theory  of  special  relativity  (Isenman  1997).  
 
Another  example  of  intuition  in  action  was  Mendeleev's  dream  showing  him  the  
periodic  table  of  the  elements  which  led  to  our  understanding  the  structual  
principles  of  matter  (Harmon  1984).  
 
While  contemplating  atomic  structure,  August  Kekule  had  his  famous  dream  of  six  
snakes  grabbing  each  other  by  their  tails  which  prompted  his  discovery  of  6  carbon  
benzene  ring  (Rothenberg  1993).  
The  Dark  Side  of  Human  Nature  
"Everyone  thinks  of  changing  the  world,  but  no  one  thinks  of  changing  himself."  
-­-­  Leo  Tolstoy  
 
When  the  irrational  side  of  our  brain  is  allowed  to  run  rampant,  it  makes  up  magical  
supernatural  stories  and  a  darker  side  of  human  nature  emerges.  This  is  the  stuff  of  
horror  movies  many  people  love  to  watch.  People  seem  to  enjoy  feeling  strong  
emotions,  even  fearful  ones.  Why  else  would  we  pay  to  take  a  scary  roller  coaster  
ride?  
 
Ancient  Greeks  invoked  demons  to  explain  unexplicable  events  that  transpired.  
Demons  were  thought  to  be  fallen  angels,  mystical  entities  with  supernatural  
powers  that  existed  in  the  air  above  people  and  could  travel  through  solid  objects,  
even  into  human  bodies.  Originally,  demons  were  not  malevolent  but  came  to  be  
later.  
 
Witches  and  werewolves  were  ancient  mythical  creatures.  Witches  were  seen  as  
diabolical  sorcerers,  usually  women,  in  league  with  the  Devil  that  were  supposed  to  

 
  

be  able  to  cast  evil  spells  on  others.  They  could  fly  on  broomsticks  and  turn  food  
poisonous.  Witchcraft  could  elicit  abscesses,  barrenness,  convulsions,  epileptic  
seizures,  hernias,  impotence,  stomach  pains,  and  just  about  anything  else  that  was  
unpleasant.  It's  hard  to  believe  that  people  once  went  on  witch  hunts  and  burned  
witches  at  the  stake  but  they  did  in  the  middle  ages.  Werewolves  were  supposed  to  
be  able  to  transform  themselves  from  humans  into  wolves  and  were  invulnerable  
except  to  silver  weapons.  
 
Building  on  real  vampire  bats  that  feed  on  blood,  mythical  human  vampires  are  
ancient  nocturnal  creatures  with  fangs  that  drank  the  blood  of  others  turning  them  
into  vampires.  They  could  only  be  killed  by  driving  a  stake  through  their  heart.  
Dracula  was  the  stuff  of  this  folklore.  
 
Voodoo  is  an  ancient  African  black  magic  religion  that  was  brought  to  the  New  
World  by  slaves  -­‐-­‐  it  took  a  different  form  in  Haiti  than  in  New  Orleans  and  is  
frequently  misunderstood  as  malevolent.  Amulets  and  charms  were  worn  for  
personal  protection  as  well  as  to  bring  harm  to  enemies.  Voodoo  was  also  used  to  
cure  anxiety,  addictions,  depression,  loneliness,  and  other  ailments.  It  seeks  to  help  
the  hungry,  the  poor,  and  the  sick.  So  called  "voodoo  dolls"  (gris-­‐gris)  were  used  to  
bless  rather  than  curse.  Sticking  pins  in  a  doll  was  not  to  cause  harm  but  rather  to  
associate  a  particular  spirit  with  the  doll.  
 
Occultism  is  an  anthropocentric  religious  movement  akin  to  intelligent  design  that  
seeks  to  "reconcile  the  findings  of  modern  natural  science  with  a  religious  view  that  
could  restore  humans  to  a  position  of  centrality  and  dignity  in  the  universe"  
(Goodrick  -­‐Clarke,  1985).  It  was  embraced  by  Nazi  Germany  and  is  now  being  forced  
on  our  society  by  the  Discovery  Institute  in  the  guise  of  "intelligent  design"  (actually  
creationism).  Over  time,  our  understanding  of  the  world  around  us  has  improved  
steadily  as  human  knowledge  has  expanded.  Our  quest  for  understanding  has  
liberated  and  enlightened  many.  During  the  Middle  Ages,  disease  and  other  

 
  

undesirable  phenomena  were  thought  to  be  caused  by  demons,  unseen  creatures  
from  Hell,  that  wrought  havoc  on  the  populace  (Sagan,  1997).  
 
Primitive  peoples  such  as  African,  Australian,  and  New  Guinean  tribesmen  once  
attributed  sickness  to  the  influence  of  witches  and  spirits.  Australian  aborigines  
believe  in  a  host  of  tiny  spirits  that  inhabit  particular  places.  Some  are  heroes,  
others  evil  -­‐-­‐  Mimi  are  slim  and  dwell  in  cracks  and  crevices  in  rocks.  We  now  know  
that  illnesses  are  frequently  caused  by  microscopic  bacteria  and  viruses  -­‐-­‐  this  gives  
us  some  level  of  comfort  that  our  lives  are  not  controlled  by  unknown  malevolent  
forces  wishing  to  do  us  harm.  The  ultimate  result  is  that  instead  of  continuing  to  
burn  witches  at  the  stake,  we  have  sought  to  create  a  medical  profession.  
Here's  a  list  of  some  of  the  many  products  of  our  imaginative  irrational  right  
cerebral  hemisphere:  Demons,  Fiends,  Genies,  Ghosts,  Goblins,  Saints,  Zombies,  
Phantoms,  Chupacabras,  Dragons,  Magic,  Racism,  Sexism,  Genocide,  Astrology,  
Seances,  Ouija  boards,  Ogres,  Satan,  Hell,  Reincarnation,  Angels,  Paranormal  and  
Extrasensory  perception.  
 
We  are  suckers.  Human  brains  are  easily  manipulated,  hence  we  have  terms  such  as  
brainwashing  and  propaganda.  Media  and  sales  moguls  take  advantage  of  our  
gullibility  to  sell  their  products.  Politicians  and  preachers  exploit  human  gullibility  
to  their  own  ends  as  well.  True  believers  follow  their  leaders  in  mass  movements  
ranging  from  cults  to  large  groups  of  people  (Hoffer  1951).  Some  refer  to  people  as  
"sheeple"  because  we  are  so  easily  misled.  Political  parties,  organized  religion  and  
patriotic  nationalism  are  all  examples  of  mass  movements,  as  are  loyal  sports  fans.  
Once  such  a  belief  system  is  in  place,  it  can  be  extremely  difficult  to  dislodge.  People  
organize  themselves  into  camps  of  groupies  holding  similar  beliefs.  Rupert  
Murdoch's  Fox  news  channel  is  designed  to  appeal  to  right-­‐wing  conservatives,  and  
many  watch  nothing  else.  Rush  Limbaugh,  Alex  Jones,  and  Pat  Robertson  offer  
confident  attitudes  and  strong  opinions,  which  are  adopted  by  their  followers  as  
embraced  in  the  slogan  "Rush  is  right!"  Thinking  takes  work.  People  are  lazy  and  too  
many  do  not  make  the  effort  to  check  out  sources,  but  simply  endorse  and  staunchly  

 
  

defend  opinions  of  others  they  think  they  respect.  Perhaps  one  of  the  biggest  threats  
to  civilization  is  the  resulting  arrogant  ignorance.  
 
Human  Cleverness  
"We  shouldn't  be  looking  for  heroes,  we  should  be  looking  for  good  ideas."  
-­-­  Noam  Chomsky  
 
Humans  are  extremely  clever  animals.  We  have  learned  how  to  use  all  sorts  of  tools  
to  enhance  our  lifestyle.  These  tools  include  things  as  simple  as  fish  hooks,  needles,  
fire,  gunpowder,  and  dynamite,  but  also  more  complex  machines  such  as  electric,  
gas  and/or  diesel  powered  drills,  mills,  chain  saws,  cars,  trucks,  trains,  bulldozers,  
ships,  and  airplanes.  We  break  all  the  rules:  humans  can  cut  down  gigantic  ancient  
trees,  build  dams,  move  mountains,  and  kill  with  impunity  huge  beasts  like  bears,  
bison,  elephants,  and  whales,  megafauna  that  should  by  all  rights  be  protected  by  
their  sheer  size.  Humans  have  come  to  think  that  we  are  above  the  laws  of  nature.  
Perpetual  motion  is  impossible  and  there  are  no  free  lunches.  Using  energy  in  any  
form  creates  waste  heat  that  cannot  be  dissipated.  
 
We  interact  with  our  environments  in  a  hierarchy  of  different  ways,  ranging  from  
manipulation  to  knowledge  and  understanding  to  wisdom.  Let  us  briefly  consider  
each  of  these  in  turn,  beginning  with  a  hypothetical  scenario.  Suppose  you  had  never  
seen  an  automobile,  but  one  fine  day  (Carl  Sagan's  "last  perfect  day  on  Earth"  comes  
to  mind),  you  came  around  a  corner  and  encountered  a  brand  new  car  just  sitting  
there,  battery  charged  up,  with  a  full  tank  of  gas  and  keys  in  its  ignition.  Initially,  you  
would  be  startled  at  its  size  and  shininess,  and  might  even  be  a  little  afraid  of  it.  But,  
eventually  your  curiosity  would  prevail  and  you  would  begin  to  investigate.  
 
Manipulation  
We  excel  at  manipulation.  This  is  the  simplest  and  most  direct  way  in  which  we  
modify  things  to  our  own  ends.  We  pick  up  a  rock  and  throw  it  at  an  animal.  Early  
humans  learned  to  sharpen  flint  and  to  make  spears  and  bows  and  arrows,  which  
greatly  enhanced  their  ability  to  kill  (as  well  as  defend  themselves).  

 
  

Soon  you  would  be  touching  that  bright  shiny  car.  When  it  didn't  bite  back,  you'd  
start  messing  around  with  it.  You  might  find  the  door  handle  and  with  your  extreme  
cleverness,  discover  how  to  depress  the  latch  and  open  the  door.  You  would  be  
pleased  with  yourself  and  continue  exploration.  Now  you'd  enter  the  car  and  sit  on  
the  driver's  seat  looking  out  the  windshield.  You'd  wonder  what  the  circular  
steering  wheel  was  and  might  even  try  turning  it.  Sooner  or  later,  you'd  notice  the  
bright  shiny  key  in  the  ignition  -­‐-­‐  it  might  take  a  while,  but  eventually,  you'd  fiddle  
with  the  key  and  might  actually  turn  it.  When  the  starter  began  to  turn  over,  you'd  
be  startled,  stop,  jump  out  of  the  car,  and  run  for  cover.  But,  given  your  innate  
curiosity,  you'd  soon  be  back,  testing,  turning  that  key  once  again.  Finally  the  engine  
would  start.  It's  even  louder  noise  would  send  you  running  back  into  the  bushes,  but  
not  for  long.  Soon,  you'd  be  sitting  in  the  car  again,  but  this  time  with  its  engine  
running.  You'd  fiddle  with  the  gear  shift  lever  and  move  it  from  park  to  drive.  The  
car  would  lurch  and  maybe  die.  But  you'd  try  again  until  you  prevailed.  You'd  still  
have  to  discover  the  accelerator  and  brake  pedals,  but  with  a  little  luck  and  
perseverance,  you'd  be  driving  around.  And,  you  would  be  so  very  pleased  with  
yourself  for  showing  such  ingenuity.  Manipulation  is  the  lowest  form  of  human  
cleverness  but  one  of  the  things  we  do  best.  Knowledge  and  understanding  require  
more  than  curiosity  and  mere  fiddling  around,  they  require  training  and  learning  
and  must  be  passed  on  from  person  to  person.  
 
Knowledge  
Now,  eventually  something  in  the  car  must  fail.  It  might  be  as  simple  as  a  flat  battery  
or  running  out  of  gasoline,  or  it  might  be  more  insidious  such  as  a  broken  wire  or  
mechanical  part.  If  it  was  transparent  enough,  you  might  be  able  to  use  common  
sense  and  wire  things  together  to  keep  the  car  running,  but  if  the  problem  was  
harder  to  identify  you  would  find  yourself  at  a  loss.  This  is  where  prior  knowledge  
of  auto  mechanics  could  prove  useful.  If  you  had  been  instructed  in  how  to  repair  
vehicles,  you  would  check  the  ignition  for  a  spark,  then  check  the  carburetor  for  fuel,  
etc.  You  might  be  able  to  identify  the  problem  and  even  replace  a  faulty  part  
(assuming  you  had  access  to  new  parts).  

 
  

 
Understanding  
The  difference  between  knowledge  and  understanding  is  subtle  but  
important.  A  course  in  auto  mechanics  might  have  taught  you  how  a  car  works  and  
how  to  repair  it,  but  you  would  not  know  how  to  design  one  from  first  principles.  
Building  a  car  from  scratch  requires  engineering  ability,  understanding  exactly  how  
a  complex  internal  combustion  engine  works,  such  as  how  the  camshaft  opens  and  
closes  intake  and  exhaust  valves  in  synchrony  with  pistons  moved  up  and  down  by  
the  crankshaft,  as  well  as  access  to  high-­‐tech  tools  and  a  machine  shop,  among  other  
things.  
 
Wisdom  
Still  more  advanced  than  manipulation,  knowledge  or  understanding,  wisdom  
requires  thought  and  involves  making  difficult  decisions,  such  as  "should  I  drive  this  
car?"  Humans  have  no  business  hurtling  along  highways  at  high  speeds  in  heavy  
multi-­‐horse  powered  machines  powered  by  burning  fossil  fuels.  Yet  because  we  can,  
we  do.  
 
Because  thought  is  work,  many  avoid  it.  Wisdom  is  notoriously  difficult  to  attain  and  
is  revered  and  treasured  but  is  outside  the  realm  of  pure  science.  As  Noam  Chomsky  
has  indicated,  we  desperately  need  all  the  deep  thought,  good  ideas,  and  wisdom  we  
can  possibly  muster.  As  I  stated  earlier,  it  is  a  real  tribute  to  our  intellect  that  we  
even  have  words  for  concepts  as  alien  to  our  everyday  existence  as  eternity,  infinity,  
and/or  hypervolumes!  We  can  imagine  things  we  can't  actually  experience.  
Educated  people  tend  to  have  fewer  children  than  uneducated  people  (Wattenberg  
1989,  Last  2013).  Garret  Hardin  pointed  this  out.  He  said  those  who  don't  have  any  
conscience  about  the  Earth  are  going  to  inherit  the  Earth  (Hardin  1974),  because  
those  who  cared  made  fewer  babies  than  those  who  didn't  care  but  left  more  
progeny.  And  so  human  conscience  is  on  its  way  out,  if  we  persist,  we're  going  to  
evolve  into  uncaring  humanoids.  That's  probably  already  happening  and  IQs  are  
falling  for  the  same  reasons,  too  (Herrnstein  1989).  

 
  

 
We  have  been  called  "cave  men  with  cell  phones."  Humans  have  built  our  own  
complex  man-­‐made  environments  and  we  live  in  funny  little  heated/air-­‐conditioned  
caves  powered  and  illuminated  by  fossil  sunlight.  Our  buildings  made  of  concrete,  
wood,  glass  and  steel,  are  hooked  together  by  the  internet  and  paved  roads.  Hurtling  
along  at  70  mph,  we  are  misfits  in  our  own  man-­‐made  environments.  We  have  
replaced  listening  to  stories  told  around  campfires  in  caves  with  watching  television  
in  darkened  rooms.  Greed  and  revenge  made  sense  in  the  cave:  a  stingy  cave  man  
was  more  likely  to  survive  to  reproduce  than  a  generous  one,  and  a  cave  man  who  
paid  another  back  for  trespassing  was  respected  and  less  likely  to  be  infringed  upon  
again.  Our  hunter-­‐gatherer  instincts  are  still  in  place  but  now  they  are  out  of  place:  
today  we  worship  greed  and  allow  or  even  encourage  runaway  greed.  Revenge  and  
tribal  loyalty  may  have  made  sense  in  the  cave,  but  they  make  no  sense  when  it  
comes  down  to  misplaced  tribal  loyalties  and  pushing  a  button  to  deploy  a  nuclear  
ICBM  against  another  nationalistic  group  (Chomsky  2014).  Yet,  governments  are  
insanely  vying  for  the  ability  to  conduct  nuclear  war!  If  we  don't  self  correct  our  
tribal  instincts  now,  nuclear  annihilation  might  well  be  in  our  future.  
 
Conclusion  
We  humans  have  made  a  real  mess  of  this  planet.  Signs  are  everywhere:  fierce  
storms,  tornados,  floods,  droughts,  drugs,  crime,  unemployment  and  economic  
depression.  People  are  in  collective  denial  about  overpopulation  -­‐-­‐  it's  politically  
incorrect  even  to  say  the  word.  If  you  dare  to  do  so,  people  respond  as  if  you  are  
some  kind  of  a  crazed  misanthrope.  Yet  population  pressure  drives  almost  all  of  our  
many  problems,  including  many  different  kinds  of  pollution  of  the  atmosphere,  water  
and  land  (and  the  effects  of  pollution  on  the  health  and  livelihood  of  plants  and  
animals,  including  ourselves),  habitat  destruction  and  fragmentation,  endangered  
species,  loss  of  genetic  variability,  extinction,  disruption  of  natural  ecosystems,  
human  transportation  of  invasive  organisms  and  resultant  homogenization  of  earth's  
biota,  evolution  of  resistant  microbes  that  infect  humans  as  hosts,  epidemics,  murder  
rates,  energy  and  food  shortages,  climate  change,  political  unrest,  fighting,  terrorism,  

 
  

and  insane  wars.  All  these  problems  are  our  own  fault:  Human  nature  is  seriously  
flawed.  We  must  learn  to  control  our  deep-­‐seated  instincts.  Without  fundamental  
change  in  our  behavior,  we're  doomed,  as  are  all  other  life  forms  on  this,  our  one  and  
only  spaceship,  planet  Earth.  
 
The  driving  force  behind  all  living  entities  is  Darwinian  natural  selection,  or  
differential  reproductive  success.  Unfortunately,  natural  selection  is  blind  to  the  
long-­‐term  future  -­‐-­‐  natural  selection  rewards  just  one  thing:  offspring.  It  is  a  short-­‐
sighted  efficiency  expert.  Individuals  who  leave  the  most  genes  in  the  gene  pool  of  
the  next  generation  triumph  -­‐-­‐  their  genetic  legacy  endures,  whereas  those  who  pass  
on  fewer  genes  lose  out  in  this  ongoing  contest.  Sadly,  natural  selection  favors  
overpopulation  and  may  thereby  result  in  extinction.  
 
Some  humans,  like  Roman  Catholic  Justice  Scalia  with  his  nine  kids,  unfortunately  
the  most  successful  from  the  perspective  of  natural  selection,  combine  greed  with  
breeding  and  have  obscenely  large  families.  Earth  simply  doesn't  have  enough  
resources  to  support  all  of  us  in  the  style  to  which  we'd  like  to  become  accustomed.  
Moreover,  resources  such  as  food,  land,  and  water,  are  finite,  whereas  human  
populations  are  always  expanding,  steadily  reducing  per  capita  shares.  People  are  
encouraged  to  think  that  resources  are  ever  expanding  when  the  opposite  is  actually  
true.  We  are  in  a  state  of  total  denial  about  the  overpopulation  crisis  -­‐-­‐  instead  of  
confronting  reality,  people  
 
ignore  it,  and  only  want  to  relieve  its  many  symptoms,  such  as  shortages  of  food,  oil,  
and  water,  global  climate  change,  pollution,  disease,  loss  of  biodiversity,  and  many  
others.  Overpopulation  is  a  near  fatal  disease  that  cannot  be  cured  by  merely  
alleviating  its  symptoms.  "Take  an  aspirin,  get  a  good  night's  sleep,  and  come  back  in  
the  morning."  Unless  we  wake  up,  face  reality,  and  reduce  human  populations,  we  
are  in  for  a  world  of  hurt  and  even  greater  human  misery.  Of  course,  eventually,  our  
population  must  and  inevitably  will  decrease,  but  we  could  lessen  the  upcoming  

 
  

misery  by  taking  action  now.  Most  people  are  unlikely  to  be  proactive  and  are  much  
more  likely  to  procrastinate  until  they  are  forced  to  react.  Watch  Domino  Effects.  
Unfortunately,  too  many  other  people  ignore  or  remain  oblivious  to  impending  
problems,  continuing  to  consume,  waste,  and  propagate  (some,  such  as  the  infamous  
Duggar  family  of  "19  kids  and  counting"  TV  fame,  are  literally  breeding  like  bunny  
rabbits,  and  are  actually  proud  of  it).  Rather  than  be  celebrated  on  TV,  such  greedy    
breeders  should  be  treated  as  criminal  social  pariahs,  ostracized  from  society,  
because  they  are  stealing  other's  rights  to  live,  let  alone  reproduce.  
 
If,  as  Garrett  Hardin  (1974)  has  suggested,  those  who  have  a  conscience  and  who  do  
care  about  the  future  state  of  the  planet  choose  to  leave  fewer  genes  than  those  who  
do  not  care,  in  time  humans  will  evolve  into  uncaring  humanoids  devoid  of  
conscience.  Indeed,  this  insidious  process  has  already  begun.  James  Lovelock  once  
predicted  that  as  we  approach  the  finish  line  of  our  limited  time  on  Earth,  only  about  
100,000  people  will  be  crowded  together  squabbling  over  resources  inside  the  
Arctic  circle  -­‐-­‐  if  so,  many  will  carry  the  surnames  Dugger  and  Scalia.  
 
Humans  could  have  been  real  stewards  of  Earth  and  taken  care  of  all  its  many  
denizens,  microbes,  plants,  fungi  and  animals.  If  we  had  used  our  ability  to  think  and  
care,  we  could  have  been  God-­‐like.  Instead,  for  a  short-­‐sighted  and  selfish  transient  
population  boom,  we  became  rapists  and  the  scourge  of  the  planet.  We  wiped  out  
and  usurped  vast  tracts  of  natural  habitat.  We  ate  any  other  species  that  was  edible  
and  depleted  many  of  Earth's  multitude  of  natural  resources.  In  a  single  century,  
humans  burned  up  fossil  fuels  that  took  millions  of  years  to  form.  We  fouled  the  
atmosphere,  despoiled  the  land,  and  poisoned  the  waters,  making  the  planet  
virtually  uninhabitable  even  to  ourselves  (Can  Humans  Share  Spaceship  Earth?  -­‐-­‐  
Pianka,  2012).  
 
Despite  our  many  shortcomings,  we  are  smart,  smart  enough  to  recognize  that  we  
have  dangerous  instincts,  and  smart  enough  to  control  those  instincts,  but  we  just  
don't  seem  to  care  enough  even  to  try.  The  disparity  between  what  humans  could  

 
  

have  been  versus  what  we  actually  have  become  is  tragic  and  unforgivable.  If  only  
people  would  live  up  to  their  full  potential  -­‐-­‐  all  it  would  take  is  using  our  brains  to  
think,  care,  and  try.  
 
The  bottom  line  is  clear:  our  economic  system  based  on  continual  growth  must  be  
replaced  by  a  sustainable  system  where  each  of  us  actively  chooses  (or  is  forced)  to  
leave  the  planet  in  the  same  condition  that  it  was  in  before  we  were  born.  This  will  
require  major  changes  in  our  lifestyles.  We  won't  be  able  to  move  around  so  freely  
(airplanes,  cars,  cell  phones,  and  the  internet  will  all  become  things  of  the  past).  In  
addition,  humans  will  have  to  be  more  spread  out,  living  without  big  cities.  Before  it  
is  all  over,  we  are  going  to  have  to  limit  our  own  reproduction,  un-­‐invent  money,  
control  human  greed,  revert  back  to  trade  and  barter,  and  grow  our  own  crops,  
among  other  things.  
 
Here's  the  Happy  Ending:  

 
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